


Embrace

by CDenic



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-10 23:59:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1166179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CDenic/pseuds/CDenic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's amazing how much can change with a simple embrace...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Embrace

 

  


by Chris DeNicola

 

 

             The first time, they were both surprised. She hadn’t intended to do what she did. She intended a pat on the shoulder and maybe a ruffling of the hair. But upon seeing the shyness, embarrassment, relief, and affection in his eyes when they were reunited, she couldn’t help herself. When she realized how she acted – hastily, yet honestly, showing her true feelings for once – she hid her blush against his shoulder.  
             He himself was too overwhelmed to return her embrace.  
             She heard his words, felt the shiver in his body, and pulled back. She made light of it with a poke to the forehead.  
             But she would find that now that she had broken the barrier and crossed the line, she was more than willing to do it again.

             The second time, they were alone, and she willingly let her guard down. He had received his Eidolon, and had done a good job of scaring the hell out of everyone, her especially. He was recovering, yet still weak and running a fever. The others were gathering supplies, setting up camp, and carrying out other tasks while she watched over him. While helping him move to a more comfortable position, she threw her arms around him and held him close, whispering her relief in his ear. He blushed, trembling slightly, but then eased back into her, allowing her to hold him for a few moments. When she released him, they were both smiling.

             The third time, he finally reciprocated. He had been upset, crying in the night as he was haunted by memories of his mother. She had heard him, yet was unsure of how to react; emotional support wasn’t her forte. But when he whispered her name in a hoarse, broken plea, she was by his side in an instant, unable to refuse him. He had buried his face in her jacket, soaking it with tears. She rocked him gently back and forth, whispering to him, feeling his pain. His arms were wrapped tightly around her midsection, even after his tears had stopped. She secretly enjoyed the closeness.  
             She didn’t realize it was the beginning of a trend.

             The fourth time, she had been injured. She took a hard fall and there had been blood in her hair. The others took care of the large beast that had surprised her, and as soon as she heard its death knell, he was beside her. He gathered her in his arms and held her as best he could. She felt his healing magic seeping from his body into hers, along with another feeling, one that warmed a long forgotten place inside of her. Inside of them both.

             The next many times were not worth counting, for they were frequent. She was comfortable dropping her guard for him, and he was no longer shy. After two or three days apart for a C’ieth stone mission, in congratulations for a job well done, in comfort for painful injuries or memories, in a jovial moment around the campfire, or just _because_. They were usually short, but tight and genuine, frequently followed up with a poke to the forehead, or a ruffling of the hair. And always ending with a smile. It was safe and familiar, soothing and enjoyable.  
             They simply had no more reservations about showing just how much they meant to each other. And Snow got a smack in the head every time he teased them.

             The hardest one was when he left their company with his father. She had cried – actually _cried_ – when he said goodbye. She reprimanded him for his poor choice of words. “Goodbye my ass!” she had said, her voice shaking more than she would have liked it to. But she didn’t care who saw them for a change. He groaned in protest of her crushing grip, but still held fistfuls of her jacket.  
             Neither of them wanted to let go…but they had to. She couldn’t very well stand there and hold him forever…  
             As he backed away, she crossed another line and yanked him back to her. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, turning them both deep red.  
             She ignored his father’s slight scowl.  
             They would see each other again. They had to.

             After that, it became customary. Visits back and forth were frequent, and every time, he would open his arms to receive her. She did her best to keep her pace even, resisting her urge to run to him. She would smile a little broader every time she noticed that he had gotten taller, but she still ruffled his hair, much to his chagrin.  
             The first time he decided to do the same to her, it had ended with screaming laughter as she hurled him off the pier and into the cool New Bodhum water, still wearing his uniform.

             At some point, it wasn’t just in greeting after some time apart, it was every day. When he would stay at NORA House, or when she would take the guest room at his father’s house for the night. She was always awake before him, and he would stumble into the kitchen, still sleepy, and greet her by gently wrapping his arms around her, usually from behind.  
             They were both still shy about her equally customary goodnight kiss on the cheek. She always made sure no one was looking, but always managed to find the opportunity.

             Eventually, the lines became blurred. There were no longer reasons, it was just what they did. He would reach out to her and pull her close by his side simply on a whim, not needing a reason. She would blush, but quickly settle into place. And he especially enjoyed when she was the one to initiate it.  
             Before long, it was simply understood that the spot on the couch closest to him was reserved for her and vice versa, and she met intruders with a deadly glare. The same went for seats around the table, on the train, or in the car.  
             Soon after, it was how they passed the evening hours. It didn’t matter who made it out to the beach or the balcony first, the other would soon follow. She would settle into his arms, protecting her ever-present stoic dignity with a “Hmph!” He never dared to point out how cute it was. They would talk for hours most evenings, and sometimes there would be tears shed and shared.  
             And some nights, there were no words at all, just hours wasted in the warmth of their closeness.

             One night it was different.  
             He had planned to stay in New Bodhum for four days, and ended up staying for two weeks. He had canceled other plans just to be near her for longer. She took more and more days off to avoid having to leave him behind while she was on duty.  
             But he had to return to the Academy in the morning. There was no way around it.  
             The stars were bright that night, the breeze singing to them. They stood on the edge of the pier, arms wrapped lazily around each other. Her head rested gently on his shoulder, and they swayed back and forth to a rhythm that only they could hear. They said little. It was well past midnight.  
             They had drawn out the time as much as they could.  
             But this time, her customary goodnight kiss missed his cheek...deliberately, and by a few inches. He was shocked...and elated.  
             And that began a new customary hello, goodbye, and just _because_ for them.

             Now when they would visit, there was no need of a guest bed, but during his second stay at her home, they traveled to the city together to buy a larger one for her room. Her practicality didn’t suit a second body, but she was finding it harder and harder to sleep anywhere but in his arms.  
             When Snow caught them passed out on the couch together, he figured he’d have a field day teasing them, but all he ended up having was a bruised shin.

             The next summer, the scene was the same as that life-changing night under the stars. It had been nearly a year. She had been spending less and less time in New Bodhum. Half of her belongings were at his apartment in the city. But they were both glad to be back on the pier, under the stars together, arms holding each other tightly.  
             And this time he turned the tables on her and _she_ was the one who ended up in the water (first).

             The summer after that, they once again stood together on the pier. It was an important place for them, but she had warned him that it would be the last time if he threw her in the water now. So he threw them _both_ into the water instead.  
             She was not happy…for a moment. Then she was just overwhelmed as she relaxed into his arms, the water up to her elbows, and the full moon overhead.  
             Her beautiful white dress was ruined, as was her carefully styled hair. His tuxedo and expensive shoes were soaked in salt water.  
             But it wasn’t like they would be needing those items again. Vanille was going to catch them, Yuj was going to kill them, and then Serah was going to bury them. But they had much more important things to worry about in the times to come.

             In the years that followed, it was someone else who was most often in her arms. Someone younger than him. Someone with the same silvery hair as him, yet with her blue eyes.  
             She was happiest when he would hold them both at the same time.

             Ten years after the fall, they all stood together around a large bonfire on the beach. The six l’Cie and their families rarely had the opportunity to gather in their entirety, and they were all grateful to be together.  
             She watched a younger version of him playing with her niece, and her godson Dajh. Her belly was swollen. He beamed with pride as he held her gently, running his hands over her, and chuckling at her complaints about how much weight she would have to lose. Neither of them cared about Snow’s teasing or Fang’s catcalls anymore. This was simply the life they were accustomed to, and yet never once did it become boring routine.  
             They still treasured their small moments together. She would still be the first to wake, and he would still greet her with a gentle embrace in morning. He would still open his arms for her after a day or two apart, and she would still check her pace as she made her way to him. The seat next to him on the couch was still hers and hers alone. She still blushed whenever he pulled her close just _because_. She would still wait for him on the balcony of their home before bed. His heart would still flutter when she curled up close to him on the beach at night. But her goodnight kisses always missed his cheek by a few inches.  
             It was safe. It was familiar. It was thrilling. It was theirs.  
             And it all started with a single lapse in self-control in front of the house that they now shared.  
             It’s amazing just how much can change with a simple embrace.

  
**End**

* * *

  


_Author's note:_

_Hug a flower, have you smelled your children today?_  
              _This idea just hit me. Take it for what it is.  
_

                                      -[ _Chris_ ](http://www.chrisdenicola.com)

 

_P.S.: Read this and more fanfiction on[my website archive](http://www.chrisdenicola.com/Fanfiction/FicLibrary.html)._


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